May He grant you your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans! Psalms 20:4 ESVIt was so hot in the field that day that people were getting sick to their stomachs and the rest of us had to crop their row. As a young boy about twelve working in the tobacco field, my world was very small. My family was the least of the least and I was in my twenties before I even knew what college was, and we could...

David said, 'Yahweh who delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.' Saul said to David, 'Go! Yahweh will be with you.' 1 Samuel 17:37 WEBYoung David was probably around fifteen years old and was now facing the greatest challenge of his life, Goliath. He was a real giant of a man that was just over nine feet tall and...

Again, the devil took him to an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory. He said to him, 'I will give you all of these things, if you will fall down and worship me.' Then Jesus said to him, 'Get behind me, satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.' ' Matthew 4:7 WEBJesus was now a young man of about...

Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together! I sought the LORD, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. Psalms 34:3 ESVDavid was now in the enemies' camp and surrounded by the relatives of those that he had...

Farther Along from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today I want to talk about dealing with things that we don’t understand. There will be times in life when the path becomes dark, and we have to walk by faith. I want to begin in Psalm 119: (Psalm 119:105 NKJV) Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. The lamp in this Psalm is an oil lamp, which only gives a small circle...

You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the powers of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience; among whom we also all once lived in the lust of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest....

In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, 'Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?' Jesus called a little child to himself, and set him in the midst of them, and said, 'Most assuredly I tell you, unless you turn, and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom...

Conditionals from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today I want to talk about conditionals in the word of God, blessings, promises, even curses that are triggered by a certain action. It is something that we should always be aware of. God’s laws work much like gravity: you drop a cup and it always falls towards the Earth. Many of God’s promises work like this, an action followed...

One Day at A Time from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today I want to talk about God’s supply chain and how He takes care of us. Too many times we see people confuse God with Santa Claus and their prayer becomes gimme, gimme, gimme. We have received prayer requests that were like this: “Please pray for the Lord to give me a large brick house, fully furnished, and paid for. A new...

Then Yahweh spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Jonah on the dry land. Yahweh's word came to Jonah the second time, saying, 'Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I give you.' So Jonah arose, and went to Nineveh Jonah 2:10 WEBJonah landed on the beach and stood up, covered in fish vomit. The giant fish had puked him onto the beach and He probably wanted to go back...

Don't be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that will he also reap. For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don't give up. Galatians 6:6 WEBAs I fell through the air from the top of the building in seemingly slow-motion,...

He Touched Me from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today I want to talk about the unclean, the outcasts, the lepers who lived during the time of Jesus. (Mark 1:40–42 NKJV) Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and...

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 NKJV Welcome to 2020! Thank you so much for reading our devotional and for being a part of Refreshing Hope Ministries. I hope that this message finds you blessed, healthy, and happy wherever you are. For the last couple of years, Sylvia and I have managed to...

Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me.' John 14:6 WEBWhen people around me started praying for someone, I used to shy away or stand quietly by. If they really had their eyes closed and were praying the way they should have, they should not have noticed me anyway. I always thought 'If they really knew me, they would not have asked for...

I See You from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When I was young in the Lord, I felt insignificant in His eyes. I had been beaten down by life pretty good and often the clothes I wore had as well. When I started going to church, I was often surrounded by people wearing suits and driving cars that I could never have afforded, even if it had been financed. I was just a laborer. So I mostly stayed...

If He comes suddenly, do not let Him find you sleeping. Mark 13:36 NIVThere was a time in our life when our business started failing and our income got less, and less, and then stopped. As the bills started piling up, we tried everything, but nothing seemed to help. We gave more, prayed more, fasted more, served more, tried to find any job possible and then as the last straw, we prepared to move out...

God spoke all these words, saying, 'I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for...

A Scattered Flock from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Jesus was the good Shepherd (John 10:1), and He was also our example of how to live a perfect life. He came to Earth at a dark, difficult time, especially in religion, for God’s presence had left the temple. The last book in the Old Testament is the prophet Malachi, and this is what the Lord told the priests that took care of His...

Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. James 5:13'15 NIVAs I got out of bed, I was more tired than when I had laid down. We had not slept now for weeks except for a brief...

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,” that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Galatians 3:13–14 WEB In Roman times, slaves were sold on an auction block under a spear. When a spear...

If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it. Will I eat the meat of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? Offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Pay your vows to the Most High. Call on me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you will honor me.' Psalms 50:12 WEBGod owns the entire universe, above and below, seen and unseen. Some people think that...

I have said these things to you, while still living with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you. John 14:25 WEBWhen I rested my hand on the box, a light came on. When I moved my hand away, it went out. I examined the wires connected to the back of the hub and found that one of the network...

I Care from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. While I was praying about the message today, I prayed: “Lord help me feed Your sheep. What are Your people are missing today? What can I tell them to give them hope?” I heard two words spoken slowly, but very firmly: “I Care.” Then a flood of thoughts and scriptures came to mind. We truly don’t understand how much the...

The Wet Fleece from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today I want to talk about Gideon in Judges, chapter six. For seven years, raiders from the land of Midian would invade Israel at harvest time, set up camps, then systematically steal their crops, livestock, and destroy and pillage anything of value. They came up like locusts and their numbers could not even be counted. The Israelites were...

Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. David's two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David strengthened...

Moses said to the people, 'Don't be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of Yahweh, which he will work for you today: for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall never see them again. Yahweh will fight for you, and you shall be still.' Yahweh said to Moses, 'Why do you cry to me? Speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward.' Exodus 14:13 WEBMoses and the Israelite people...

The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate; for this, my son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.' Luke...

The First Christmas from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today I want to talk about the first Christmas. What was it like to be on the Earth the night that Jesus was born? What was the world like then? What do we know about it? Well, things were complicated. It was a difficult time. Under Julius Caesar, Rome had expanded to a vast empire that spanned from Egypt to England, which was called...

And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”...

For Such a Time As This from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today I want to talk about God’s timing. Too many of us read the Scriptures and feel that God is dated, or out of touch with modern times, when nothing could be further from the truth. He invented time. He created the Sun that the Earth orbits. Sometimes we can feel that He is distant, unconcerned with the occurrences in our...